


that's what twins are for

by hopefulundertone



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Death, Dreams, M/M, Night Terrors, Panic Attacks, Two Endings, alternate endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 16:14:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3453662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopefulundertone/pseuds/hopefulundertone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Twins?" <br/>"Twins." Mabel slips her hand into Dipper's and grins at him, before turning to look at the stars. </p><p>Slowly, static fills her ears and she begins to see a black and white film, of a little girl with yellow eyes (she isn't sure how she can see colour, but it's the only colour she can see). There's a boy too, and he seems distressed. She feels like she should feel something, which is confusing, so she sticks to being detached. The boy kneels, pleads, and slowly a familiar voice crackles in her ears. "Don't take her! Take me! Please, just not her, not her, please!"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this has two endings: one in chapter two and one in chapter three. pick one, or read both.

___"Twins?"_

_"Twins." Mabel slips her hand into Dipper's and grins at him, before turning to look at the stars._

_"Hey, look! It's the Little Dipper!" She giggles and he chuckles as she rests her head on his shoulder, and they have another moment of peaceful silence on the roof, when suddenly everything goes dark. A high-pitched voice announces a sentence she can't put together, the words tumbling through her fingers. "I'm here to collect a debt, Pines!"_

_Slowly, static fills her ears and she begins to see a black and white film, of a little girl with yellow eyes (she isn't sure how she can see colour, but it's the only colour she can see). There's a boy too, and he seems distressed. She feels like she should feel something, which is confusing, so she sticks to being detached. The boy kneels, pleads, and slowly a familiar voice crackles in her ears. "Don't take her! Take me! Please, just not her, not her, please!"_

_Then everything is black again and slowly she opens her eyes. She's alone now, and Dipper's nowhere to be seen. A hiccup escapes her, and Mabel bursts into tears, feeling more alone than she ever thought she'd need to. Through her tears, she looks up, vaguely seeking comfort in the stars, but where there once was the Little Dipper constellation only shines a yellow triangle of stars._

Mabel's eyes snap open and she screams, tear tracks staining her face again. Frantic, she scrambles over to Dipper's bed.


	2. Chapter 2

He's still there, thank the heavens. Mabel hugs his familiar frame, waking him rudely, but she doesn't care. Dipper's still alive and still here, and that's all that matters. 

"Wha- M-Mabel? You okay?" His spindly arms wrap around her and she sniffles into his shoulder. 

"Was it another nightmare?" Nodding, she buries her head further into the crook of his neck, afraid that if she says something, she'll give away too much, but her twin knows her too well for that, and gently tilts her head up, examining the tear stains that glimmer in the moonlight and the red rims of her eyes. 

"You were in it, and, and Bill Cipher tried to, to possess me, and you told him t-to take you instead, and then I was alone, and you..." She hides her face again, ashamed, as her shoulders start shaking with renewed sobs. Mabel hates how selfish she sounds, but she can't help it, so she just turns away from Dipper's hands when they try to tilt her head towards him again. 

Eventually he gives up, and hugs her, shifting so that she can fit onto his bed with her. It's a tradition, and one that, surprisingly, both of them love. Gently, Dipper strokes her bed-puff of hair, and they drift back to sleep. 

 

In the morning, Dipper's the first to wake, but he's trapped between the wall and Mabel, so he waits patiently until she begins to stir before patting her gently on the back. Normally, he'd be much more rushed, but Dipper figures she could use the extra sleep. 

"Morning, Mabel." 

"Hey, bro bro. Uh, I just wanted to say, thanks for last night. I freaked out big time." 

"No problem! What're brothers for, right?" She nodded gratefully, hugging him again. 

When they separated, Dipper was holding out a fist. 

"Twins?"

"Twins."


	3. Chapter 3

Only to remember he's gone. The dream's merely a memory of the last time she saw her brother, her twin, her other half. Mabel breathes slowly, trying to control the panic attack that threatens to overwhelm her. 

She'll never see her brother again. He won't be there to witness her braces coming off and see her straight and shiny new teeth, or wear the ten thousandth sweater she'll knit and dedicate to him, or get matching cool-twin tattoos they'd planned, or sigh at the streak of light pink or purple she'll get in her hair to match his blue or orange. 

She'll never see her twin brother again. 

Biting her lip, Mabel hugs Dipper's cap, hot tears coursing down her cheeks as she whimpers. The door creaks open as she cries, but it's only her Grunkle Stan, who sits on Dipper's bed next to her and rests a hand against her back awkwardly. 

"Yeah, I miss him too." He hesitates a moment, before gathering Mabel in his arms and letting her sob into his shoulder, slowly but surely crying herself to sleep. 

 

It's been half a year since Dipper was taken, and everyone agrees that she's gotten much better, in the hushed tones of those who don't have much hope left and would gladly grasp at straws. Mabel only gets night terrors once every week or two, and recently she knitted a sweater again. She's still withdrawn, but she's coming to terms with being an only child. Robbie's visited her a lot, and surprisingly, she doesn't scream and shout the way she does when anyone else came into her room those early weeks. Stan's devastated, far more than his reputation would presume, and he's closed down the Shack temporarily and Soos, well, he believes that Dipper's still out there somewhere. We all have to have some hope. Wendy quit, and stopped hanging out with the gang. 

It seems Dipper Pines will be missed by everyone who knew him. 

 

 

_Mabel is scared. She's leaning against Dipper's shoulder again, and she's on edge, because she knows what's going to happen soon. She'll lose him again, and she's not prepared for that. Not again. So she curls her fingers into his vest and waits, but nothing happens. Bill doesn't appear and take over Dipper like it happened in real life, so she risks a glance up at his face and blanches._

_Dipper's eyes are pure yellow, but he still wears the crooked smile she loves, and the hand that holds hers is warm and comforting beyond belief. Then he speaks, and Mabel wants to sob, because she knows it's really him, instead settling for hugging him tightly._

_"Alright, Mabel, alright. I missed you too, sis. How've you been doing?" He's cut off by a slap to the face and an indignant look._

_"You left me alone! Alone, by myself, to face the rest of my life, you bastard."_

_The scandalised look on his face is pure Dipper, and she has to laugh breathlessly, because he's right here, right now! He's here with her, next to her, really, truly there!_

_"Well, yeah, I guess I deserved that, but I'm really okay! Bill's been... pretty decent to me, actually. He says that I might one day actually visit you guys in person, and that I can come to see you in your dreams anytime! Isn't that great? You can tell me everything about each day and-"_

_Mabel tackles him into a hug, and sobs into his shoulder, because she's just missed him so much and living without him has been a hell she never wants to live through, but if he's here every night... Well, then maybe she can get through the days without clawing her eyes out. He pats her back understandingly and strokes her hair the way he would when they were little and she was upset._

_She had missed him so goddamn much, but he was here now. Everything would be fine._

_A cough interrupted their reunion, and Mabel looked up through teary eyes at the newcomer._

_"Pine Tree, we should be going. She's about to wake up." Dipper looked up and nodded, giving Mabel's hair one last pat before standing and climbing up the roof to where the triangle demon hovered. He reached up to grasp Bill Cipher's hand, and with a last wave, began to glow yellow, until the glare was so bright she couldn't see anymore-_

And Mabel sat up with a gasp and began to laugh out of sheer relief, ignoring the tears that track down her cheeks. There was a spring in her step that wasn't there before, and after a breakfast of pancakes, she collected her knitting needles and went to sit on the front steps, because her brother wasn't gone. He was still with her and would be forever. 

She could hardly wait for tonight.  


End file.
